


Under Better Circumstances

by Onehelluvapilot



Series: Febuwhump [12]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Blood and Injury, First Meetings, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Gwaine Flirts (Merlin), Hurt Elyan (Merlin), Major Character Injury, Pre-Season/Series 03, Protective Gwaine (Merlin), teen for swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29135691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onehelluvapilot/pseuds/Onehelluvapilot
Summary: Gwaine finds a stranger injured and alone in the forest. Of course he helps.
Relationships: Elyan & Gwaine (Merlin)
Series: Febuwhump [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134998
Comments: 8
Kudos: 21





	Under Better Circumstances

**Author's Note:**

> Betaed by LiGi

When Gwaine came across the bodies of two men who were obviously bandits along one of the sketchier trails through the forest, he didn’t think much of it. They’d probably just gotten into an argument with a larger and/or better armed group of thieves or been turned on by the other raiders that were plaguing the villages around here. The odd thing, Gwaine thought as he picked through their knapsacks for anything of value (which he was going to take back to one of said villages to help them recoup their losses, he wasn’t just looting corpses for his own gain), was that nothing had already been taken off the bodies. He found a full coin purse in each bag. After pocketing both, he looked around the scene to try to reconstruct the fight and what may have happened. Both men had knives on hand or near their bodies, and one of them had dried blood on it. His eyes landed on a trail of blood leading away from the site, and on a whim, he decided to follow it.

He went cautiously, wary of accidentally stumbling into a whole group of bandits, of which only one was injured. Even at his slow pace, he reached a campsite within five minutes. There was a small fire burning, which had mostly died down to coals, and a single man lay near it, with his back to Gwaine. He was wearing a coat with a hood pulled up over his head, obscuring most of his features, but what was visible was the blood coating the lighter skin on the palms of his hands and the bandage hastily tied around his thigh. There was no sign of anyone else around, and he likely wouldn’t make it without help. 

“This is a bad idea,” Gwaine said to himself as he approached the unconscious man. Then again, when had he ever chosen the good option? He knelt down behind the man, and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Um, hello?” There was no response, so he carefully rolled the man onto his back.

He was immediately glad that he had done so, as the man was devastatingly handsome. Not that he wouldn’t help an ugly stranger, but just being able to look at him was a definite bonus. He had a wide nose and full lips, and somehow, even in unconsciousness, he looked kind. His face scrunched up in pain as he began to wake, and when his dark eyes blinked open Gwaine thought he might get lost in them. He was snapped out of it by his question.

“Who’re you?” the man asked, slurring his words a little.

“The name’s Gwaine,” he introduced himself, receiving a questioning look in return. “And I’m here to help, not hurt you, I promise.”

“Alright,” the man said, his tone suspicious. Gwaine had a feeling he wouldn’t be so amenable to letting a stranger touch him if he wasn’t obviously so weak from blood loss. The bandage tied around his leg hadn’t been pulled tight enough to completely stop the bleeding, and it was soaked through. “D’ you know how to treat wounds?” he asked as Gwaine started untying it.

“Somewhat. I actually got stabbed in almost the same place as you seem to have been, and the physician explained to me how he treated it. You’re very lucky I haven’t already eaten the honey I have in my pack with my bread.” The fighter set about pulling various items from his pack. Merlin had predicted, correctly, that he got hurt fairly often, so he’d gifted him with bandages, honey and a jar of other herbs used to treat infection, and a needle and fine thread for sewing up wounds before he left. It was a good thing he had, as the stranger could use all of them. “What’s your name?” he asked, realizing he had introduced himself but hadn’t had the favor returned.

“Elyan,” he replied. “Wait, shit, you’re not one of the Fair Folk are you? I know I’m not supposed to give them my name…”

“My friend, I think you may be delirious,” Gwaine teased gently. “I know I’m beautiful, but no more so than yourself, so while I am flattered, I don’t think I quite qualify as one of Them. Also, I don’t think the People of Peace tend to get stabbed in the leg very often.”

“Oh,” Elyan said. “Wait, did you just call me beautiful?”

“I did,” Gwaine admitted. He thought keeping his patient talking was a good idea, to distract him from the pain as he began to tend to his wounded leg as gently as he could.

“Oh. That’s nice.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so, because I think you’re gonna be needing some help and protection for awhile, so I’m glad you don’t seem to mind my company.”

“Wait, what?”

“I mean, as long as you’re not a bandit or raider or anything.”

“No. I’m a blacksmith.”

“Good. Honest men are hard to find around here, so I’m not letting one of the only one’s I’ve found get killed.”

“...alright,” Elyan agreed. His eyes were already drifting closed again, and Gwaine took his blanket off of where it was tied to his pack to lay over him. The man was shivering despite the fire, which he must’ve lit shortly before passing out with the knowledge that he’d freeze without it.

“Sweet dreams,” he said softly, before continuing to patch up his leg. It would be easier now that Elyan was unconscious and he didn’t have to worry about hurting him as much. When he’d come across the dead bandits, he hadn’t expected to gain a wounded traveling companion by following the blood trail, but even though it would slow him down, he couldn’t say he minded.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments/Kudos make my day


End file.
